


Till the World Ends

by lorenzobane



Category: Shadowhunters
Genre: Angst, Astral Projection, Established Relationship, Immortal Alec, Immortality Discussion, M/M, Sort of? - Freeform, With A Twist, but not like super angst, mortal Alec
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-25 02:53:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14369355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lorenzobane/pseuds/lorenzobane
Summary: “I love you,” Alec manages. “I love you a lot. I’ll love you until the world ends.”Magnus smiles, gentle and confused. “I will too, darling.”Alec can’t quite help the small bittersweet smile that grows on his face, “I know.”Or: Immortality means a lot of things that Alec never thought about





	Till the World Ends

If Alec had to list his top date ideas, he would not list ‘skulking in an alley with Magnus trying to find the Owl, who is also his brother.’ Still, it’s nice to have him- his sharp eyes scanning the walls looking for clues far beyond Alec’s understanding. They’re walking in a methodical pattern when Alec sees a shimmering in the air, a slight silvery wisp dangling in the corner of the alley. It’s beautiful, and he can’t stop himself from walking helplessly towards it.

He turns back to Magnus, “look at this! Isn’t it pretty?”

He reaches out his hand, suddenly desperate to feel the shimmering air. Alec has maybe .5 of a second to process Magnus’s distressed, “Alec! No!” before the shimmer begins to surround him. Slowly, the silvery glitter turns a shocking, blinding white and with that, Alec felt himself slip unconscious.

When he wakes up, Alec can’t help but feel exasperated with himself. At this rate, he’s spending most of his twenty-fourth year unconscious. The second thing he notices is that he’s in an entirely white room. Or, at least he thinks it’s a room. There are no edges and it seems to stretch into an endless abyss of pure white, he can’t even see the floor he’s standing on.He takes a cautious step forward and immediately wants to vomit, the feeling of stepping through the floor making him both nauseous and uncomfortable like he’s developed vertigo.

“What the hell?” He mutters to himself.

He’s starting to become concerned when two thick dark paths start to form on the floor. One, winding and twisting, disappearing past Alec’s sightline into the vastness of the white infinity. The other, straightforward with gentle bends, and flowers springing up on the side. He moves gingerly towards the space between the paths, observing them carefully. From a distance, they looked like gravel paths, but now that he’s closer he can see that the paths are made of dark, swirling smoke that seems as thin as vapor.

He turns away from the paths to see two figures approaching him from the distance. One, tall and strong, the other old and slow, even though they are well within his line of vision he, can’t quite make out their faces until they are almost face to face with him.

Alec can’t help but gasp, he knows that face, of course, he sees it in the mirror every day. The tall, strong one looks identical to him, with pale, silvery scars where his runes would be. The other, an older man who carries himself with immense dignity, has a shocking black deflect rune on his neck.

“Where am I?’

The younger one shrugs, “Nowhere? Everywhere? To be honest, we’re not sure. We’re just here to help you decide.”

“Decide what?” Alec asks.

The older man smiles gently, “why, the question of mortality of course. This is a space that is marked by indecision; the paths show you the options you can take.”

He gestures to the two paths, which now have signs that seem to have grown out of the smoke. The winding, dark path has the words “IMMORTALITY” printed in bold letters that shift and squirm like snakes. The other, short and bright, has “MORTALITY” written in lemon yellow.

“So… Do you also represent my options?” Alec asked, looking between the two.

They nod, the one who looks younger smiles and says, “I chose immortality, and I chose Magnus.”

The older man shrugs, “I chose to die. I was never meant to be a young god the way Magnus is.”

Alec nods absently at them and looks back at the paths, “so, what happens now?”

Immortal Alec turns towards the paths, “you may walk down one and see how it ends. The trick is, you can only pick one.”

“Doesn’t mean you can’t talk to us, afterward though,” Moral Alec says with a wink.

“Do I have to?” Alec asks, though he already knows he will. He’s desperately curious, and even as he watches the paths, they have shifted. The flowers on the short track have grown and died five times since Alec begun watching them, and the long road seems to spiral and unspiral unendingly.

They must see the answer on his face, but still, Immortal Alec answers, “if you ever want to leave, I’d probably see the spell through.”

He observes the paths, but deep down he already knows what choice he’s going to make. He places a delicate step on the way to immortality, and the other path crumbles immediately, disappearing into the white space as if it had never been there.

Alec takes a deep breath to steel himself and presses forward. The room around him disappears as well, tight walls close around him, and behind him, the only way to move is forward.

He keeps walking, the path twists and bends sharply and seemingly without much warning before Alec finds himself in a well decorated and beautifully lit room. It looks almost like Magnus’s loft, except somehow also completely different. He is just settling into the space when the entire room shutters and shakes.

_“Watch the windows, darling!” He hears Magnus call, and then he bustles into the room. It’s strange to see him, the same, yet indelibly different than the one he left._

_“Stop nagging.” Alec turns sharply to see a version of himself laying on a couch, drinking a bowl of thick red liquid. Alec realizes that his immortal counterpart is drinking blood._

Alec waves his hand in front of his counterpart’s face, who doesn’t seem to notice him. He tries to place a hand on his shoulder, and his hand passes right through. It’s as if he’s not there at all.

_“I’m not nagging,” Magnus says. “The wind-storms have become more intense. It’s only a matter of time before the windows break completely.”_

_“Thank god for the nuclear winter,” Alec replies wryly._

Alec studies this version of Magnus more carefully. He’s not wearing any makeup and is casually wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt. He also notices that he’s thinner like he hasn’t been eating quite enough, and his skin looks almost waxy.

_“Just because you’re a daylighter, doesn’t mean isotopes can’t affect you,” Magnus replies._

_“Will you pour me a drink?” Alec says, ignoring Magnus’ comment._

_“Sure, but we really should start being careful. I think I have the only liquid alcohol left on earth,” Magnus says going to the drink cart to pour two stiff drinks._

_“Did you see the news?” Alec says once he gets his drink._

_Magnus nods, “there are only two hundred people left in New York. We should consider leaving soon, I’ve heard Portland has managed to protect their city more or less.”_

Alec starts at that and goes to the window while they drink in silence. He pulls back the curtain and feels abruptly nauseous. The streets are crumbling, and the buildings have collapsed. He stares longer and realizes there are bodies on the road, entirely preserved by the sand that is blowing through the air.

_“We can’t keep ignoring the obvious solution,” Alec says._

_Magnus stares at his drink, “there is no obvious solution.”_

_“The colonies on the moon! I got a message from Simon the other day; he says things are good there. He’s managed to keep a more or less steady supply of blood, and the air is clean, and people aren’t dying in the streets.”_

_Magnus keeps staring, before getting up without warning and moving to the kitchen. He is bustling around a cauldron, ignoring immortal Alec._

_“Magnus!” Immortal Alec says sharply, “you can’t just ignore me. I understand that you’re… attached for some reason, to this planet. But it’s dying! The water is poisoned globally; plagues are ripping through city after city, and with all the doctors off the planet, there is nothing to be done. We are just wasting away in a god damn mausoleum.” Here Immortal Alec takes a breath, “I can see what the water is doing to you, Magnus. We need to get you help.”_

Alec looks at Magnus again and notices things more clearly now. His skin isn’t just waxy, it’s jaundiced, and he’s not just skinnier, he’s wasting away.

_“I can’t,” Magnus says, his voice broken and low._

_“What do you mean you can’t? Can’t or won’t?” Immortal Alec says, and he’s shouting now._

_Magnus curls more into himself, and whispers, “I can’t.”_

_“Will you give me a straight fucking answer?” Immortal Alec asks, his voice still harsh._

_“Because,” Magnus says, his voice now hard as well as he slams his fist into the cabinet, “I fucking can’t! My power and my immortality are tied to the god damn ley lines. If I leave this planet, I’ll die immediately.”_

_Magnus takes a shuddering breath, and Immortal Alec softens, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”_

_“You think I don’t know how god damn terrible this is? If I stay here, I die of radiation poisoning. If I go there, I’ll be dead before the portal closes.”_

_Immortal Alec moves closer and holds him, “I love you. I’m sorry, I… Why don’t we move the apartment to Portland. You’re right; I think I read that the water there is cleaner, and they have a functional astrodome.”_

_Magnus shakes his head, tears drying on his face. “No, you should go. You and Simon should be together. Soon you’ll be the only ones left. All the warlocks will die on this planet; the Vampires will never survive the journey and… Well, Werewolves on the moon will work as poorly as you’re already imagining.”_

Alec stares in horror. He never considered that immortality would give him the ability to outlive Magnus, and if the thunderstruck expression on his immortal version’s face says anything, it’s that he hadn’t been expecting it either.

_“I became immortal to be with you. I’m not going anywhere. What do you say, baby? Want to ride out the apocalypse?”_

_Magnus lets out a watery laugh, “God, I fucking love you, Alexander. I’m so glad I’m not alone.”_

_“You’ll never be alone,” Immortal Alec promises._

_“Really?” Magnus asks, his voice still shaky from the tears but Alec can hear this mischief in his tone. “You moved out for a full decade, and got an apartment next door because you hated my dish soap.”_

_Immortal Alec shrugged, “what’s one decade to four hundred years?”_

They smile at each other and Alec turns, to give them privacy. He’s looking at pictures on the wall when he notices that they’re slowly turning to sand and dust around him. He manages to turn back for a second and catches a glimpse of his immortal self, and Magnus, leaning so close their foreheads are touching as the apartment descends in the sand around them.

Alec whips around in fear, but he notices he’s back where he started. His immortal and mortal self are sitting at a pitch black table playing chess.

“So, how did it go?” Immortal Alec asks, capturing a rook.

Alec can’t quite find the words, so he shakes his head and trembles. Eventually, he manages, “what… What happens?”

Immortal Alec shakes his head, “Magnus died shortly after we got to Portland… All the magic it took to move us there exhausted him, and his immune system dropped. He was gone within the year.”

Alec turns away from them and dry heaves into the blank expanse.

Immortal Alec continues, “I did eventually move to the moon colony with Simon. I wasn’t meant to be without Magnus, though. We’ll see how long it lasts.”

“Are you,” Alec stares at his immortal self, “are you dead?”

He shrugs, “not sure. That is actually too far in the future for the spell to be able to tell.”

“How could you leave him?” Alec asks suddenly, turning to his mortal self.

His mortal self smiles softly at his anger, before sliding his queen into D-5. “I died on a beautiful spring day in June, the last things I saw were trees and flowers, surrounded by my children, and my grandchildren, and my great-grandchildren. And Magnus. I lead a beautiful life, and ended on a beautiful note.”

Alec can’t handle that answer, his voice filled with fury, “what about Magnus? Does he… Would he be alone?”

Alec can’t stomach that thought. Magnus alone in a crumbling apartment, in a world on fire. He doesn’t deserve that.

His mortal self shakes his head, “no. Without us around to watch his back, Magnus is killed two hundred years after me. We rest together now, happy, eternally.”

Alec stares at him, not knowing quite what to make of that answer.

“I guess it depends,” his immortal self starts, “is it better to be there for him, make sure he’s never alone, not even at his end… But have him suffer longer for it? Or die, but ensure that his death will be quick and he’ll reach eternal happiness faster? What’s the right decision?”

Alec glares at himself because that was a uniquely unhelpful thing to say. Alec is already conflicted and confused and… God, all he wants, all he wants, is for the here and now--

Just as he has that thought, the two men turn to him at the same time smiling.

“Exactly,” Mortal Alec says. “You’re at the beginning. Enjoy it, enjoy the here and now, and make a decision later. And I promise, when the time comes to make a decision, you’ll make the right one. No matter which one it is.”

Alec is close to tears, but he manages to choke out, “can I go home now?”

They nod, and distantly he feels Magnus’s hand stroking his cheek, begging him in a soft voice to wake up.

He feels Magnus’s breath on his lips, and when Alec opens his eyes to the real world, he wakes up already kissing Magnus.

Magnus, for his part, is delighted by the turn of events and presses even more firmly into the kiss.

“What happened?” Alec asked. His eyes flit around the alley.

“You passed out for about five minutes, and then you just suddenly woke up. It turns out you walked into an experimental spell that another warlock banished without realizing that they never actually destroyed the prototype. So, a better question is what happened to you?”

Alec opens his mouth to respond, but to his horror, bursts into tears instead. Then he’s sobbing, clutching desperately at Magnus’s’ jacket while the other man slowly runs his hands up and down his back and murmurs words of comfort.

“I love you,” Alec manages. “I love you a lot. I’ll love you until the world ends.”

Magnus smiles, gentle and confused. “I will too, darling.”

Alec can’t quite help the small bittersweet smile that grows on his face, “I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I've always had a weird thing for #ApocalypseFamily so I couldn't help but transfer that to my love of making unusual things. 
> 
> Me: how about i write some nice normal immortality angst/fluff
> 
> Also me: What if you write something really fucking bizarre instead?


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